GAIGHAT, NOVEMBER 2

Forty-year-old Bibek Dahal, who had been doing time in a Saudi Arabia jail for 15 years on a murder charge, was handed down death sentence. Dahal is from Udayapur.

Jubel Jail administration implemented the verdict of death sentence on October 23. Before the implementation of the court verdict, Dahal's family was notified. The deceased's uncle Arjun Dahal said that the body was buried in Saudi Arabia.

Dahal had reached Saudi Arabia in 2006. In 2007, Dahal was charged with killing Rajendra Bista of Nepal and attempting to murder a Sudanese national.

The court had convicted Dahal in Bista's murder. The apex court had upheld the criminal court and lower court's verdict in Dahal's case.

Dahal's uncle claimed Bibek was innocent.

According to his uncle Arjun, Bibek had interfered while Bista and some other people were fighting. After others fled the scene, Dahal was arrested and charged for the murder.

Bista was killed in the fight. Dahal's family had provided Rs 1.2 million blood money to Bista's family and the Nepali Embassy had sought amnesty for Bibek. But, the Sudanese national had gone out of contact though Bista's family had agreed to the amnesty.

Nepal's high-level efforts to release Dahal from jail had gone into vain.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Narayan Khadka had made a formal request to his Saudi counterpart to give amnesty to Dahal.

A version of this article appears in the print on November 3, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.